I'm pleased to announce that car boot season is now in full swing in Sheffield, and I went to my first one of the year yesterday. It took an hour to get in (my poor knee hurts today from all that clutch control in loooong queues!), but myself and Beatrix certainly enjoyed getting back into searching for vintage treasures, haggling and chatting to the stallholders once again. And eating meaty treats (Bea, not me).
Here's what we came home with.
First of all - and I think this has to be my star buy of the day - some more Dean Enid Blytons for my small but growing collection. I have never read The Magic Faraway Tree, and it was one of the books read by another group of the Pretty Nostalgic Vintage Book Club while we were reading The Wind in the Willows in Sheffield, so I'm very pleased to have a copy in my collection at last. Will it make me have psychedelic dreams?
Here's what we came home with.
First of all - and I think this has to be my star buy of the day - some more Dean Enid Blytons for my small but growing collection. I have never read The Magic Faraway Tree, and it was one of the books read by another group of the Pretty Nostalgic Vintage Book Club while we were reading The Wind in the Willows in Sheffield, so I'm very pleased to have a copy in my collection at last. Will it make me have psychedelic dreams?
There was even a makeshift bookmark inside one, on very 1970's paper!
Here is my Dean & Son collection as it stands now.
Next, and speaking of The Wind in the Willows, here are two Ladybird books I snapped up. The first has gorgeous illustrations and makes a wonderful introduction to the story for young readers, and the second replaces a copy I had as a child, and which my now-forgiven mother gave away with a great deal other of my children's books when I was away at university. I've nearly bought them all back now! I know I had another Ladybird Disney book, and it was blue, but I can't remember what it was. I'm inclined to say Peter Pan. I do remember that they came from Woolworths!
"The clever men at Oxford
Know all there is to be knowed
But none of them knows half as much
As intelligent Mr Toad!"
There was a shiny motor car like this one in the car park at the car boot sale yesterday. Fate! Poop poop!
More books. I have never owned these two Beatrix Potter Ladybirds before but I think I have read them, so can only assume I borrowed them from the library when very small. The photo illustrations are nothing like Potter's drawings but are still rather lovely.
A collection of Ladybirds, scooped up at 50p each. It's quite rare to find them these days.
This decoupage had to come home with me. This is my very favourite of the Mrs Tiggywinkle illustrations, because she looks so cheeky! In fact she reminds me a little of my gran! This will look splendid on my gallery wall along with my Beatrix Potter Alice in Wonderland picture.
Lastly, some linens, which reminded me of both a Spring day and the talented Jenny of The Custards. Apologies for the pre-wash photos...
And here they are, resplendent and clean on the washing line, after I'd done my own Mrs. Tiggywinkle act. Not bad for 25p each.
So after that quite literary acquisitions update, have you found any treasures recently?
Not bad not bad at all Anna!
ReplyDeleteI do so love a good carboot sale :-)
You have done well lots of lovely books. I was an Enid Blyton fan couldn't get enough of her.
I am happy to say I have found two china treasures which I'll be posting about soon. The Spanish don't know much about English china because they sell it very cheap.
keep well
Amanda :-)
I like buying children's books as they don't take up much space, hence my being able to justify continuing to sneak them into my ever-groaning bookcase. Ahem.
DeleteI do love china treasures, will look forward to those! x
Super buys!!! I especially love the books! :-)
ReplyDeleteWe desperately need to do a car boot sale. We can't decide whether to do one here in Germany (facing the language and cultural issues) OR to haul our stuff back to the UK at some point, to do one there. Last time we did one (when we were moving here), we even sold our car!!! :-)
Carly
x
I hope you meant to sell your car ;) Mind you, people have tried to buy my dog before, because she happened to be guarding our stall at the time. Very odd. I wonder how much the prices differ for vintage between Germany and the UK? x
DeleteLovely Lovely finds! Those linens are very pretty.
ReplyDeleteHope Bea enjoyed her car boot adventures with you. Enjoy the books :0)
Claire x
Thank you, Claire. I was a little worried about the linens because the man who sold them to me was smoking over them at the time - so difficult to remove the smell - but I succeeded after a good soaking and a gentle machine wash! Bea very much enjoyed hoovering up treats from the sellers and sampling other dogs' water bowls - you'd think water tasted different the way she works her way round! x
DeleteWhat gorgeous finds! Well worth the clutch control! I remember having that exact copy of Wind in the Willows when I was a kid...the illustrations are wonderful. I also remember the Magic Faraway Tree in a long car journey when I was young. I seem to remember being determined to be able to read in the car, despite knowing it made me feel sick, and guess what, I got travel sick. But, I did finish the book (in a stationary position!) and I loved it! Happy reading! :-) x
ReplyDeleteOh I'm paying for that clutch control today, owee! Someone else who couldn't stop reading in the car despite knowing full well it would make you ill! So great to be so absolutely absorbed in a book that it makes you prepared to feel utterly wretched in order to know what happens! Can't wait to read my latest finds :) x
DeleteLove your ever-expanding collection of Enid Blyton books. I'm in the process of rebuilding my childhood collection too; there's no way I'm going to let my hypothetical future children grow up without knowing who Moonface is! xx
ReplyDeleteOur future kids are going to be well prepared on the home library front! My work colleague told me the other day that she had a huge collection of Dean & Son Enid Blytons as a child, all pristine, but made the mistake of letting her own children read them and they trashed the lot! Made me a little nervous, I must admit - will teach respect for books. x
DeleteSuch great finds! The Ladybird books always make me smile and it's lovely to see Mrs Tiggy-Winkle too :)
ReplyDeleteI had a little bit of a nightmare a few weekends ago driving to the car boot (the big Twin Oaks Chesterfield one off J29), it was the first time I'd gone alone and didn't realise the sheer amount of traffic... ahh clutch control is the worst!
When I finally got in, it was absolutely thriving! But I'm a little bit scared to venture back now. xxx
I know the feeling well but you should definitely venture back :). I realised on the way home that there is another way to this one at Oldcotes so will not be doing that clutch control for the sake of thrifty finds again! x
DeleteWow what awesome finds! I love vintage ladybird books, and had rather a lot when I was young. But our mothers must have been in cahoots as my mother gave all of mine away too!
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth were they thinking?! My mum loves books too, but doesn't have the hoarding instinct for them that I do. It was a dark, dark weekend when I returned home to find mine gone. At least they're nearly all back in some form now! x
DeleteLove the books! I am starting a little collection, with 60s illustrations. W found two jars this weekend, for a DIY project, but also an ovenex starburst cake tin, I love the texture - 2 pounds, bargain!
ReplyDelete60s books often have such colourful illustrations, don't they. I need to sort out my cake tins badly, I never seem to have the right one for the job and they all need replacing. x
DeleteI miss those car boot sales! Mrs. Tiddywinkle looks lovely and the linen caught my attention! What a find!
ReplyDeleteMrs Tiggywinkle is now proudly up on my wall so I can smile at her cheeky face every day :) x
DeleteThey are some really sweet buys!
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Gorgeous finds Anna ... I do wish we had decent car boots near here ... Bee x
ReplyDeleteIn these tough economic times there do seem to be more car boots springing up, I think the one I go to is one of the biggest in Europe, but it can actually be a little overwhelming sometimes! Definitely need a bacon sandwich afterwards ;) x
DeleteThose Enid Blyton books are my very favourite kids books! I still read them now, they're like my comfort blanket, and I can't wait until my daughter is old enough so we can read them together!
ReplyDeleteI still love a good Enid Blyton, especially when I'm too tired to read much else before sleep. Some Blytons are a little dated in their ideas for little 'uns today, but others I'd love to share with a small person - the famous five ones especially as children aren't encouraged to go adventuring these days. Mind you, I'm not sure I'd be letting five kids under fourteen stay alone on an island surrounded by treacherous seas, but neither did the books make me run away try it myself either, so no harm done! They did make me want a dog to go adventuring with, though, so that one worked out well... eventually! :) x
DeleteI think car boot buys are my favourite posts to read, so this has made me very happy! I love every single buy but especially the BP decoupage (of course!) unfortunately I didn't come across any Potter treasures today, maybe next time! Xx
ReplyDeleteThere seemed to be a lot of BP at this one, but sometimes I have to look at things and think 'what would you actually do with it?' rather than assuming that all BP items are fated to come my way and snapping them up without consideration! There was another decoupage of Mrs. Rabbit giving chamomile tea to Peter, but it just didn't appeal in the same way, and I also saw a decorative Jeremy Fisher plate. Very pretty, but I'm afraid I have no place for it :-/ x
DeleteI had these Faraway Tree books, my absolute favourite books! The covers are so colourful! Great embroideries! :) x
ReplyDeleteThe cover colours are certainly cheery! x
DeleteI'm so glad I kept all my Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair books. I have those exact copies and am saving them to read to my children soon!! I didn't know you could get a box set though! I have quite a collection of the Dean books. They'll be put out on my son's bookshelf before too long.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you could get a box set either! I did a little squeal when I saw it ;) x
DeleteYou took me right back to my childhood with those books. Love the embroidary too - such neat stitches.
ReplyDeleteYes, two of the linens are definitely machine embroidered, but the other one is hand stitched. x
DeleteLove the Enid Blyton and Ladybird books! I remember buying them from Woolworths as well, proudly carrying them out of the shop desperate to read them as soon as I got home.
ReplyDeleteI've still got my Squirel Nutkin Ladybird book and a full set of Famous Five books, which belonged to my mum in the 1970's. I have them stored away safely til we have children and then the whole Enid Blyton cycle can begin again! :-) x
My Enid Blyton cycle never ends, kids or not! x
DeleteFabulous books! I loved the Magic Faraway Tree as a child but have never read Wind in the Willows(!) I must rectify this at some point I think! :D xx
ReplyDeleteYou'll love it :) x
DeleteOh my goodness, I am delighted to see your blog post today! I loved the Faraway Tree, definitely spent many nights dreaming about it as a child as I nodded off to sleep. I think my sister still has those books!
ReplyDeleteAlso your table linens are lovely, what a bargain!
Thank you, you've all got me desperate to read this book now! x
DeleteI did my first car boot two weeks ago and it was very busy! I too have the Enid Blyton and Ladybird books and I've read the wishing chair (i had that very version) I loved it! Your linens are fabulous too. Worth all that clutch trouble x
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your first car boot! x
DeleteLOVE those books! And I love Beatrix too - there is no way I could take my 2 dogs to car boot sales with me - they are way too hyper haha! I have been to a few car boots so far this year but not found anything exciting...!
ReplyDeleteBea gets a little over-excited too, but she loves going so much and sniffs out bargains so I couldn't leave her behind! x
DeleteWow Anna, looks like you and Bea had an amazing day! Brilliant finds, I love the Mrs Tiggywinkle pic, she's one of my favourites. X
ReplyDeleteSome of these pieces were a walk down memory lane. Really exciting finds!
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